Backsplash

Our countertops have been in for a few weeks and now its time for our backsplash.

I had originally wanted glass subway tiles, but finding them in off white & cream was proving difficult.

Then I found this - it's a mix of glass and stone tiles. Here it is against my granite. What do you think? I want my granite to be the standout, not the backsplash so I am hoping this matches without competing.

I really like the combo. I think it would blend into the background really nicely with a very light grout. Can you take a picture from further away? I know some people think the long skinny tiles are on their way out, but if you like it, go for it.

both are nice:I could see the smooth glass, considering all the interest in your floor and then plenty of other wood and patterned granite. does the floor really stand out? can't really tell what the typical view is,or how much the floor is on "display"....it's the first thing my eye was drawn to.

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree. Even with the the tile being monotone and matching grout I still think it's too much pattern and too busy. You have so much pattern on the floor and in the granite, all those textures in the backspash is too much. I would use a larger format glass if you want that in a 6 x 12 tile as it's a cleaner, more modern look. It's not easy to find in those colors but it is out there. Nothing wrong with a green tinge either. Look how pretty a bit of gray/green looks in your photo.

I like the mosaic. I think the glass looks off in color and any glass would be too much shine beside the shiny granite. I like contrast in finish instead of color in some places, and the mosaic offers that. It will look great!

Love love your granite and the mosaic tile is beautiful and looks like it matches perfectly in color, but I wonder if it would be too much combined with your granite that has a lot of movement. So many mosaics look great on a little sample, but grouted and in a large area it could be a completely different story.
Can you get a bigger sample preferably grouted?

I love your granite and definitely prefer the mosaic. I think you'll need to be really careful about getting a complimentary grout color. Mosaics can look TOTALLY different with different colors of grout. I'm also very curiousÃ¢ÂÂ¦would you mind sharing where you got your island pendants? I love them!

I had the same feelings about Mosiacs but I really think this one is going to be a good fit...we are kinda at the point of wanting to just finish our kitchen and move on! We only did minor renovations and we are tired of the construction already. But I am very happy with my choice.

Our kitchen/dining & living room are open concept and the walls are all cream (BM Elimira White). So I think any pattern in the backsplash will be ok.

Thank you for the grout tip. I will test it before we put it up. : )

The hanging pendant was purchased at HD - We get so many compliments on them and it was such an easy/inexpensive switch.

The stacked look is already dated and it's just too much. It might look all one color, but when the light hits it the glass pieces will look different against the matte stone and great even more pattern. The scale of the pattern on the tile is also similar in scale to the pattern in the granite which might not work. Another thing is that the pattern of the granite is random and the pattern of the tile is also random. The backspash should be an orderly pattern to contrast against the random pattern of the granite and a different scale. As a designer, all these things need to be taken into consideration.

Crossville makes any of their tile in many sizes of rectangles. A larger format solid tile with a bit of texture would be a cleaner, more modern look.

I do agree about the matte glass. Walker Zanger and Ann Sachs carry glass tile in all colors, sizes and finishes although they are a bit pricey.

You've done such a great job with this I would hate to have you choose something that is almost right just to finish it already. Just my $.02!

There are also some green tones in the glass in the mosaic. There is a bit of pinky tone in the granite. Look above the "AT" in the CERATEC. The problem is they never come in looking like the sample. The elements are always slightly different from the sample and you need just a bit of unwanted variation to throw it all off.

If you do go ahead with that, make sure you get a sample from the same lot you are buying first to help avoid any surprises.

So first things first, I took Blondelle's advice and picked up a box of the tile and it was WAY different from the sample board. I was actually stunned and dissapointed. I would have been crying had I installed this without seeing the actual boxes of tile, so thank you Blondelle for that advice. I am sad that the monotone sample is not what they are actually selling... I REALLY liked the sample board.

So I am back to starting fresh. A warm white ceramic subway might just be what I need... any suggestions?

Beaches. Wow now thats a cautionary tale for all of us. I would expect it to look different in mass, but not that different from the sample board! Do you think it's because the sample is mounted on black or were the tiles actually a different color? I'm curious to see the difference, can you show us a photo with both?
Sorry to hear it, but happy that you discovered it before you installed it.

Granite looks similar and its paired with dark cabs, different shade obviously, Would pick up the light in your kitchen, as does the glass in the (pantry?) door to the right, and complement the shiny hardware, pendants, faucet and look good with your chairs. Hard to tell if the tone is right, but maybe they have other shades.

BTW, concentrating on the backsplash I initially didn't pay attention to your cabs and they're great. Can you tell me who makes them and the type of wood and color stain? Thanks.

Here is a picture of what was in the tile box. The stone is much darker and almost peachy compared to the sample board where it was all one color. I never would have picked a mosiac out that introduced a new color - that is why I like the sample board so much. I'm still so glad I didn't have this installed.

Hi Island - thank you for your help. That glass tile is really nice, although a little to white for my kitchen. The simple look is perfect though.

We bought our house resale, so I have no idea where the cabinets came from. They are maple - that I know for sure. When we bought the house I wanted a white kitchen but couldn't paint or take these down, they are very nice even though they aren't what I envisioned.

Oh wow yes it does look more peachy. Nix that!
Thought Cabo's might be a little too white, but I like how it picks up the light like the glass pieces in your mosaic.
Back to the drawing board for you. :>). Please keep posting your finds. We all benefit from the mix and match backsplash experiments!

Thank you so much for the supportive comments, it really means a lot. Now that the tile is up - there is no going back! : )

To answer a few questions.

We picked Alabaster grout. I hope it looks good...we will wait and see!
The sink is a Blanco Silgranite Diamond - white.
The cabinets are a dark stained maple. The cabinets were exisiting when we bought the house, so that is all I know about them.